The reading from this week presents an interesting analysis on race and ethnic identity as it is related not only to self-recognition processes but also to external factors that can be influential to determine identities and demands. (page 13)
Legalizing Identities: Becoming Black or Indian in Brazil's Northeast by Jan Hoffman French addresses the transformation of Ethno-racial identities in the Northeast of Brazil to describe the historical development of two communities that identified themselves as indigenous and that have constructed and own culture and system of values around that identity. This comes as a surprise for other Brazilians, who might identify them with other racial categories and thus it becomes a challenge as they fight for …show more content…
In this context, the book helps to the understanding of identity politics in a country like Brazil as the author explains how the political commitment often precedes racial designation; whereas in the US racial designation most often precedes political commitment.
It also states a debate about indigeneity and the construction of identities outside the phenotype, which poses a new discussion on the factors that influence the identity process of ethnically diverse groups. The groups that the author describes were originally perceived by him as Afro-descendant or mixed-race, these communities built their public discourse around the recognition of their indigeneity and the claim for collective laws.
The Xoco Indians and the Quilombos of Mocambo are a particular case of what it would be considered as black indigenous communities, which are located geographically in regions in which the exploitation of natural resources affected the survival of their
Legalizing Identities: Becoming Black or Indian in Brazil's Northeast by Jan Hoffman French addresses the transformation of Ethno-racial identities in the Northeast of Brazil to describe the historical development of two communities that identified themselves as indigenous and that have constructed and own culture and system of values around that identity. This comes as a surprise for other Brazilians, who might identify them with other racial categories and thus it becomes a challenge as they fight for …show more content…
In this context, the book helps to the understanding of identity politics in a country like Brazil as the author explains how the political commitment often precedes racial designation; whereas in the US racial designation most often precedes political commitment.
It also states a debate about indigeneity and the construction of identities outside the phenotype, which poses a new discussion on the factors that influence the identity process of ethnically diverse groups. The groups that the author describes were originally perceived by him as Afro-descendant or mixed-race, these communities built their public discourse around the recognition of their indigeneity and the claim for collective laws.
The Xoco Indians and the Quilombos of Mocambo are a particular case of what it would be considered as black indigenous communities, which are located geographically in regions in which the exploitation of natural resources affected the survival of their